Resilience of renewable power systems under climate risks

Resilience of renewable power systems under climate risks

January 2024 | Luo Xu¹², Kairui Feng¹, Ning Lin¹², A.T.D. Perera³, H. Vincent Poor⁴, Le Xie⁵, Chuanyi Ji⁶, X. Andy Sun⁷, Qinglai Guo⁸ & Mark O'Malley⁹
The resilience of renewable power systems under climate risks is a critical issue as climate change intensifies extreme weather events and increases the frequency of severe power outages. The integration of environment-dependent renewables during energy decarbonization introduces uncertainties in the supply-demand balance and climate vulnerability of power grids. This Perspective discusses the combined risks of climate change, extreme weather events, and renewable energy integration, which collectively affect power system resilience. Historical data on US power outages caused by tropical cyclones highlights the importance of grid inertia and system flexibility in maintaining supply-demand balance and preventing cascading failures. Future projections indicate that climate hazards, such as tropical cyclones and heatwaves, will intensify, leading to greater impacts on power grids. High-penetration renewable power systems may face increased challenges, including more severe infrastructure damage, lower grid inertia and flexibility, and longer recovery times. To achieve climate resilience in a net-zero future, distributed renewables can be harnessed through microgrids, supported by grid-forming inverters, distributed energy storage, cross-sector interoperability, and climate-energy integrated modeling. Lessons from past blackouts, such as those caused by hurricanes, show the vulnerability of power systems to extreme weather events. The integration of renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind, is sensitive to climate extremes, leading to increased operational uncertainty during extreme weather events. The risks posed by climate change and renewable energy integration are interconnected, and future projections suggest an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The resilience of power systems under climate risks requires innovative solutions, including distributed optimization, cross-sector interoperability, and climate-energy integrated models. These approaches are essential for ensuring the reliability and resilience of future power systems in the face of climate change.The resilience of renewable power systems under climate risks is a critical issue as climate change intensifies extreme weather events and increases the frequency of severe power outages. The integration of environment-dependent renewables during energy decarbonization introduces uncertainties in the supply-demand balance and climate vulnerability of power grids. This Perspective discusses the combined risks of climate change, extreme weather events, and renewable energy integration, which collectively affect power system resilience. Historical data on US power outages caused by tropical cyclones highlights the importance of grid inertia and system flexibility in maintaining supply-demand balance and preventing cascading failures. Future projections indicate that climate hazards, such as tropical cyclones and heatwaves, will intensify, leading to greater impacts on power grids. High-penetration renewable power systems may face increased challenges, including more severe infrastructure damage, lower grid inertia and flexibility, and longer recovery times. To achieve climate resilience in a net-zero future, distributed renewables can be harnessed through microgrids, supported by grid-forming inverters, distributed energy storage, cross-sector interoperability, and climate-energy integrated modeling. Lessons from past blackouts, such as those caused by hurricanes, show the vulnerability of power systems to extreme weather events. The integration of renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind, is sensitive to climate extremes, leading to increased operational uncertainty during extreme weather events. The risks posed by climate change and renewable energy integration are interconnected, and future projections suggest an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The resilience of power systems under climate risks requires innovative solutions, including distributed optimization, cross-sector interoperability, and climate-energy integrated models. These approaches are essential for ensuring the reliability and resilience of future power systems in the face of climate change.
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